


My Soul to Take

by Rough_Rabbit_Head



Category: the GazettE (Band)
Genre: Accidental Demon Summoning, Alternate Universe - Demons, Branding, M/M, Mating Rituals, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, One Night Stands, Ouija, References to Depression, Witch Ruki, Witchcraft, demon Kai, mental manipulation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rough_Rabbit_Head/pseuds/Rough_Rabbit_Head
Summary: Kai clicked his tongue and moved to sit up straight again. "I am not going to devour the soul of a weakened man. You are broken and your grief has weighed you down into a suicidal state. Some would say that is the perfect mindset for a demon to take advantage of, but I think otherwise. You are such a fragile little thing and I pity you. Your soul isn't worthy of my appetite."The human snapped his head up to glare at the demon with as much venom as he could muster given the circumstances. He actually took on a slightly mocking tone. Something about being called fragile and unworthy caused the fear that had been slowly settling in him to dissolve, leaving him angry. "Oh thanks. If I am not worthy of you, then why are you still here?"---Following the death of his father, Kouta uses a Ouija board to try and make contact with him. What he makes contact with is certainly not what he had hoped for.(More tags will be added as the story progresses. Rating is subject to change.)
Relationships: Kai (the GazettE) / Kouta (OC), Kai (the GazettE)/Original Male Character(s), Reita/Ruki (the GazettE)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

The young man stood in front of the large family grave his father's ashes had been placed in less than an hour ago. He had his head bowed, bright red hair falling into his face as he fought to hold back his tears and stay strong for his family. In front of him, his stepmother was knelt down speaking quietly to his baby brother who was much too young to fully understand what was happening. The small boy's cries reached his ears, further breaking his heart. The poor kid shouldn’t have had to learn about death this way, definitely not this soon.

His older brother stood at his side, one hand resting on his shoulder while the other was wrapped securely around their sobbing sister. Shiro leaned down and whispered to him quietly. "Come on, Kouta. Let's get you and Kawa home. Dad wouldn't want us all standing around here crying over him when we have lives to be living."

Kouta nodded and turned away from the grave. He took over holding on to Aikawa as she continued to cry into her hands and led her back to his brother's car as the older man stepped forward to say goodbye to their stepmother. He felt numb as they made their way out of the cemetery in a mournful silence. His father had meant the world to him and seemed in his mind like his only friend throughout his entire life. Without him, he felt empty and all alone in a world that was much too big for him to handle.

When his brother dropped him off at his small single bedroom house, he quickly walked upstairs to his bedroom and shut himself in. He stared at the box he had sat on his bed before leaving. Kouta knew it was a stupid idea, but upon hearing the news of his father's passing, he went to a sketchy shop he had recently discovered that sold 'cult' items; trinkets, crystals, various herbs, candles meant for rituals Kouta would never understand, and other such objects. His interest, however, had been a Ouija board. His father had told him many times that he should never mess with the things, warned him even of the dangers that could befall him if he wasn't careful.

Kouta never believed his father's warnings. Sure, he believed in the paranormal and was almost certain he had experienced quite a few unexplainable things, but demons? He called bullshit on their existence. He took the box and sat himself in the middle of the floor. After setting the board up, he simply stared at it for a long while, suddenly unsure if this was a good idea at all. If he did make contact with his father, he knew the man would be furious with him for not heading his warnings, but he had to do something. His father was the only person he could talk to about his problems and with him gone, he was lonelier than he had ever felt in his life. Lonelier than when his birth mother disowned him for his sexuality.

Finally making up his mind, Kouta leaned forward slightly and placed his hands on the planchet. He felt silly because surely this won't even work, but he was determined. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated and asked out loud to the empty house.

"Is there anyone here with me?" Kouta anxiously waited for anything at all to happen. The planchet didn't move. Of course it didn't, he thought to himself. He thought about giving up and just going to bed, but as he took one hand off, it started moving slowly.

Kouta furrowed his brows and watched as it moved to the yes spot. Placing his hand back on to the planchet when it stopped moving, he nervously asked another question. "Who are you?"

This time, it started moving mere seconds after he spoke the words. It glided over the letters, spelling out the name 'Tetsuya.'

Kouta's breath caught in his throat. "Dad? Is it really you?"

'Yes.'

Kouta wanted to sob. He couldn't believe he had actually managed to make contact with his recently deceased father. He hadn’t even believed this stupid piece of wood would even do anything. He knew logically that it was probably just his own subconscious desire to speak with his father again, but he proceeded to spend the better part of an hour conversing with what seemed to be the spirit of his father through the board before he became tired and said goodbye to close it out like he had been told by the man who sold it to him. When he crawled into bed, he felt much lighter than he had since he received the dreadful call that fated morning a week before.

* * *

Over the following weeks, Kouta continued using the board to speak with what he thought was his father. He barely even noticed when the strange occurrences started taking place in the house and when he did, he shrugged them off, surely thinking they were a mere coincidence. Lights started flickering on and off by themselves, things began moving on their own, he heard footsteps walking around the hallway upstairs when he was in the living room, and worst of all he started feeling like he was being watched when he slept at night.

As new things started happening around him, the responses he was getting from the Ouija board started to become more and more unsettling, eventually escalating to this entity telling him that it wanted to drag his soul to the depths of hell. This was when Kouta finally realized whatever he had been speaking to was definitely not his father and he knew he had gone much too far in talking to it. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but he didn't care anymore. If the most important person in his entire world was truly beyond his reach, nothing else mattered to him.

Late one night, as Kouta was preparing himself for bed, he felt the sensation of being watched once more. With his mind made up, the redhead took a deep breath and spoke aloud to his seemingly empty house. "I am not sure what you are, but if it is my soul you want, you can take it. There is nothing left for me now. I would rather be dead than continue to suffer more of this hell."

He felt a strange rush of energy behind him, but stayed put, not daring to turn around and figure out if anything was actually with him. Suddenly, he heard an oddly soothing voice directly in his ear. "You would give your soul to me that easily? Pathetic."

That was enough to startle him into swirling around and backing away from where he stood. There was no one there. He was still completely alone in his silent house as far as he could tell. That voice had seemed to real and he could swear he had actually felt the presence of someone standing right behind him. Deciding he was probably losing his mind he ran his hands down his face and heaved an annoyed groan before heading to bed for the night.

He crawled into his bed, and he once more felt like he wasn't alone. He rolled to face the wall and made up his mind to ignore it when the bed behind him creaked as if someone had sat down. Suddenly, he was wide awake and alert. He didn't dare move an inch as the presence leaned over him, pressing in on him as if to trap him in place in his bed.

"It's rude to ignore your friends, Kou-kun," the same voice from before whispered in his ear and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will whatever was leaning above him to disappear. He tensed up at that voice hummed in annoyance. "You said yourself I could have your soul, no? Then why are you suddenly acting so shy, hm?"

Kouta finally opened his eyes and turned his head to look up to see who was there with him, but once again, he saw nothing but the darkened ceiling above his bed. As he had moved to take a peek, the weight pressing him to the bed had disappeared entirely. Heaving another sigh, he laid back down and willed himself to sleep. He kept telling himself he was just imagining it. Clearly he was just losing his mind.

* * *

The following day, Kouta spent the majority of his time just sitting in his room and staring at the Ouija board he had been using to communicate with whatever the hell this thing was. He could only assume one of two things; either his own imagination playing tricks on him in his grieving state or a demon had actually come to him through his attempts at communicating with the dead.

Just thinking that word made him feel stupid. He didn't believe in demons, he never had, but as the day passed, he kept feeling as though someone was watching him closely. Feeling utterly drained, Kouta leaned his back against the wall and scanned his room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

"If you are actually real, could you either get on with the soul stealing or leave me alone?" He once again offered into the emptiness. He wasn't expecting an answer, but he could swear the shadows in the corner darkened as he spoke.

He sat up and strained his eyes, trying to figure out if his exhausted brain was just playing tricks on him when out of the shadows stepped a tall man, easily a good fifteen or so centimeters taller than him. His brown hair faded to a dirty blond and fell into his face and down to just below his shoulders. He wore all black with a shirt that dipped low enough for him to see a strange symbol seemingly burned into his chest. His dark eyes seemed to bore into his very soul and for all he knew they very well were.

This was definitely not a man he had ever seen before, surely not someone his mind could just conjure up out of nowhere. Kouta was shocked to actually see a figure at all, let alone that of a good looking man. He just stared at the man as his mind raced to convince himself he was hallucinating. The man, or whatever he really was, came closer until he was standing within arm's distance from the bed.

"You keep offering me your soul, yet despite how broken and desperate you are for death, you don't truly mean it," he spoke with the voice that had become familiar to him by this point. "I can tell by the minute way your voice trembles when you say it and the way your body tenses as I try to come close enough to do just that. You are playing with fire, Kouta."

Kouta's breath hitched and he just stared at whatever was in front of him. "Who- what are you?"

"You already know the answer to that," the man spoke. He moved forward again and moved to sit on the bed next to Kouta. His gaze never leaving him for a second. "If you need to hear it spelled out, though, I am a demon."

Kouta gave a sharp laugh and tipped his head back. "Great, I have finally lost my fucking mind. Demons aren't real, Tetsuya."

"Kai," the creature corrected him as he leaned closer. "My name is Kai and I can assure you I am very real. I simply gave you that name because your father is what you were seeking and I wanted to lure you in so I could take over and devour your soul slowly and painfully, causing as much destruction as possible in my wake."

Kouta felt a pang of fear creeping up his spine. This demon smiled at him, revealing terrifyingly sharp looking teeth and those dark eyes flashed a golden tint. His voice sounded small and trembled as he spoke. "And what is stopping you now?"

Kai clicked his tongue and moved to sit up straight again. "I am not going to devour the soul of a weakened man. You are broken and your grief has weighed you down into a suicidal state. Some would say that is the perfect mindset for a demon to take advantage of, but I think otherwise. You are such a fragile little thing and I pity you. Your soul isn't worthy of my appetite."

The human snapped his head up to glare at the demon with as much venom as he could muster given the circumstances. He actually took on a slightly mocking tone. Something about being called fragile and unworthy caused the fear that had been slowly settling in him to dissolve, leaving him angry. "Oh thanks. If I am not worthy of you, then why are you still here?"

The demon tipped his head as he seemed to think over his question. "As much as I pity you, I find you intriguing. Under all that pain, I can sense you have a strong will and you prove it by trying to mock me. You have only showed fear towards me on two occasions since bringing me here and both times were because I snuck up on you or took you by surprise. You don't really fear me, do you?"

Kouta actually had to stop for a moment and roll that over in his head. He knew he should be scared, especially when faced by a demon, regardless of whether or not said demon found his soul worthy, yet he wasn't afraid anymore. The beautiful creature before him spoke to him with such a soothing voice, he couldn't find it in him to remain angry either.

"No," he finally settled on. "I think you are intriguing as well. But, uh... How exactly did I bring you here?"

Kai turned and looked towards the bookshelf where the redhead had stashed the Ouija board. "You called out to me and I simply replied. Your emotions then were so raw and deliciously wounded I thought you would be easy prey. And offering yourself to me so willingly? I could have taken over oh so easily. Physically, I doubt you would be able to fight me off. Hell, in your grieving state then, you probably would have mentally broken very quickly for me."

"So what now then?" Kouta looked at the beast sitting next to him. He was still surprised with how calm he was being. He crossed his arms and pouted slightly at once again being referred to as weak. "What do you want from me?"

"I still want your soul. At some point, anyways. I need you to become stronger," Kai smirked at him and Kouta couldn't help but become struck by how devilishly handsome he looked. "I need you to become worthy of me devouring you."

Kouta opened his mouth to respond but found himself unable to as Kai beckoned him closer. "Come. First course of action, you need a good night's sleep. When was the last time you were truly able to relax and rest properly?"

He wasn't sure why, but Kouta scooted closer and allowed the demon to take him into a firm embrace. The creature laid back onto the mattress taking Kouta with him until he was resting against his scorching hot body. After a moment, he felt the body beneath him cool to a more suitable temperature for their current proximity. Something about Kai being considerate enough to not roast him alive while he slept made him feel a light fluttering in his stomach. He quickly became lulled into a deep slumber by his soothing presence. His mind didn’t even process how stupid it was to allow himself to become comfortable in the arms of a creature of the Underworld with how safe he felt.


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Kouta awoke all alone in his bed. He felt strange, but well rested. Nothing about his house felt out of the ordinary, so he decided the events of the previous night were merely his imagination running wild in his grief and loneliness. Making up his mind, he hopped into the shower and got himself ready for the day. He was going crazy and needed to get out of the house for a while.

Once he was ready, he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed out. He wandered somewhat aimlessly around Tokyo, not really having a clear goal in mind besides keeping himself busy. He ended up window shopping for a few hours before finding himself in a random bar not far from his house. The little redhead had barely started on his first drink when a handsome man sat down next to him.

The man was tall and gorgeous with long black hair that was much shorter in the back. He gave Kouta a charming smile and offered to pay for the young man's next drink. He knew it was probably not a good idea, but he had decided before he left that morning, that he would do anything to feel less lonely, if only for a night, so he agreed.

The man, Uruha, as he was told to call him, blatantly hit on him over the course of a few drinks before he leaned against the bar with a sinful look in his eye and a sexy smirk.

"You wanna get out of here, sweetheart?" Uruha spoke to him in a deep voice, his intent more than clear to the tiny man.

Kouta thought on it for a few moments before shrugging. "Sure, why not. My place is nearby and I live alone."

The taller pushed off the bar and threw enough money to cover both their drinks with a hefty tip down for the bartender to take before offering his arm to Kouta. "Perfect. Lead the way."

The redhead found it annoying that his mysterious date for the evening seemed far less drunk than he himself was, but chalked it up to the man being older and bigger than him. Tonight he didn't want to care at all. They made it to his place without too much incident and stumbled through the door together. The light in the living room was on when they arrived dispite him clearly remembering turning it off before he left.

He didn't get too much time to worry about it, when Uruha kicked off his shoes and practically pounced on him. He found himself pressed against the wall next to the front door with the taller man attaching himself to Kouta's neck, leaving open mouthed kisses and playful nips into his skin. He let out a soft moan and tangled his fingers into surprisingly soft hair as he tipped his head back to give the man access to him.

Kouta kicked off his own shoes and pushed gently at Uruha's chest to get him to back off a bit. "I think we should take this to the bed, Uru-san."

The man lifted his head to smirk at him before pulling him towards the stairs. As they made their way to his room, Uruha kept running his hands along the small man's body, making Kouta giggle a bit in his tipsy state. He pushed open the door to his room and turned to walk backwards to the bed. He pulled his shirt over his head as he allowed himself to fall back on the bed.

He could swear he felt more than just Uruha's eyes on him, but he shrugged it off as the tall man removed his own shirt and came to stand between Kouta's parted thighs. He leaned down and captured Kouta's lips in a sensual kiss and pushed him to lay back on the sheets. The two wasted no time in undressing the rest of the way and soon Kouta found himself on his back with Uruha on top of him. The man had clearly gone to the bar prepared to leave with someone as he produced a tube of lubricant from his discarded jacket pocket and spread it over his fingers before shoving two into the smaller man without hesitation.

Kouta moaned out and quickly got lost in the man above him. All thoughts he had of strange occurances in his home and meeting a demon face to face melted away and he allowed himself to just enjoy this man's company for the night. By the time they were finished and the younger man found himself falling asleep in Uruha's arms, he felt much better about believing it had all in his head.

* * *

Kouta was expecting to wake up alone the next morning, assuming his random hook up would slip out of his home before he woke up. He was surprised when he opened his eyes to find the man fully dressed and sitting in his desk chair. He looked up when he heard Kouta moving to sit up.

"Hey, so," Uruha sounded a bit awkward as he addressed him. "I think your house is haunted, dude."

Kouta rolled his eyes and got up to start getting dressed himself. "That's ridiculous. Do you stick around after all your one night stands to spout nonsense?"

Uruha snorted at that. "Only if they're cute, but I'm serious! I woke up a few hours ago to go use the bathroom before leaving and I swear there was a creepy guy in the hallway that he kept angrily watching me. I only saw him for a second, but it was weird. I have also watched the light downstairs turn on and off several times and listened to what sounded like things being moved around in your kitchen. You said you live alone, so clearly, it must be ghosts, right?"

Kouta crossed his arms and gave Uraha a hard stare. He sighed after a moment before sitting back down on the bed. "Yeah, some weird things have happened lately, but whatever. I can handle it, thanks."

The older man eyed him for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a business card. He presented it to Kouta politely. "If it gets to be too much, then call me, okay?" After a brief pause he added on. "Well, call me for literally anything. You are quite interesting."

Kouta was stunned, but followed the man through the house to say his goodbyes and see him off. The gentle kiss Uruha gave him before leaving surprised him even more, but he brushed it off and headed to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

As he entered the small kitchen, he was startled by a mug he had left sitting on the counter sliding off and crashing to the floor in pieces. He quickly laughed it off, cleaned up the broken shards, and pretended like nothing happened at all. He had meant his words earlier. He could handle this.

The rest of the day, he spent lounging on the couch watching tv. He blatantly ignored the loud creaking from upstairs and the kitchen light switching on and off repeatedly for a few hours before he huffed and turned off the television. He sat back on the couch and looked towards the kitchen when the light once again switched off.

"Are you quite done, Kai?" He called out in an annoyed tone. He wasn't even fazed this time when the shadows darkened in the entryway and the man showed himself once again.

"Are you quite done with ignoring me?" Kai shot back. He seemed almost as annoyed as the human was. "I don't appreciate what you did last night."

"Pardon?" Kouta crossed his arms and glared at him. "I don't recall claiming that I was going to do anything to make you feel comfortable in _my_ home. I didn't ask for you to intrude."

"Well I am here now and your soul is mine!" Kai’s eyes flashed wickedly as he came closer to the small redhead almost menacingly. "I will not tolerate you continuing to taint yourself with random men. You are going to need to be cleansed before I can consume you."

Kouta rolled his eyes at that. He was surprised at himself for not letting the demon's anger scare him. Somehow, he just felt in his gut that the creature wasn't going to harm him. "First, you need me to become stronger. Then, you decide I am not allowed to sin. And now, I have to be cleansed. What does that even mean?"

The demon came to a stop in front of him and reached down to place his hands on Kouta's bare knees. His skin was burning like it had been the last time the creature touched him and he was giving the redhead such a disapproving stare that he was beginning to feel like a child who had done something wrong. He watched Kai drop into a kneeling position before moving to spread his legs and hold them in place.

Kouta furrowed his brows, but didn't dare move an inch. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Kai flashed him an evil grin before moving his right arm further up the human's thigh so he could push the leg of his shorts up to reveal more of his pale skin. A strange tingling was left in the path where scorching fingers grazed along him. "I am going to mark you for cleansing."

The demon spoke as if the answer was completely obvious. He leaned towards him, that blond hair falling in his face even more as he did. Kouta wanted to try to escape as he realized this creature was pressing his face into his inner thigh, dangerously close to his crotch, but he found himself frozen in place. As Kai’s tongue slipped out to lick slowly along his flesh, he felt an intense burning pain shoot through him. He screamed out, his hand moving to tug at the demon's hair to try and pull him away, but it was completely ineffective. It seemed like an eternity passed before the creature finally sat back and stared at the place he just had his mouth with a satisfied expression.

Kouta trembled as his leg continued to throb excruciatingly. He had tears in his eyes as he tried to catch his breath from screaming. Finally he followed the demon's gaze and found angry red lines burned into his inner thigh to form the same symbol scorched into the demon's own chest. He looked back up to Kai’s face and glared as best as he could with how badly he was hurting.

"What the _fuck_?" Was all he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"You will now be forever branded as my prey and mine alone. If you ever attempt to lay with another man, I will make sure you suffer for it," Kai ran his fingers over the mark he left in what Kouta was sure was meant to be soothing, but instead caused the pain to flare up worse. When he screamed out, the demon cooed at him gently and allowed his skin to cool to an icy touch and cupped it over his leg to soothe the brand. "I do not want to bring you unnecessary harm, so please cooperate with me until your cleansing."

Kouta flinched as the creature moved his other hand up to brush away his tears. He was giving the redhead an almost fond expression that left the human in a state of confusion. All at once, he felt a wave of calming energy fall over him and was sure the demon was the cause. He let himself relax and lay back on the couch, finally tearing his gaze off of him.

"What exactly do I need to do to be cleansed?" He asked in a small, trembling voice.

"Just wait and it will all become clear. I cannot start the process without your clear consent and I would prefer you to actually want to be cleansed rather than just going along with it because I told you to," Kai’s tone was soft as he moved closer, pressing his face to Kouta's stomach as his arms wrapped around his slender waist.

Kouta thread his fingers through the demon's hair subconsciously, but didn’t return his gaze to him. "Isn't it a bit late for that if you have already marked me for it? And why is my consent important all of a sudden? Are you meaning to possess me?"

"You and all your questions. In a sense, I suppose I am," Kai murmured into the human's shirt. "Maybe not in the sense you are picturing, but possession is a good word for it, I imagine."

Kouta gave an annoyed huff. "Do you have to be so cryptic? I am not going to offer up my consent for something I don't know the details of."

Kai sat back to look up at him, his eyes looked a little darker than usual. "In time you will give me your consent, of that I am sure. You will come to desire being cleansed and offer yourself willingly. Just wait for it."

The human took a deep breath and sat up straight. "I think I need some air. I am going to get dressed and go for a walk."

He stood and headed upstairs, not waiting for any kind of response. He changed quickly and went back down to put on his shoes by the door. His demonic housemate was nowhere to be seen when he left. Having no goal in mind and not wanting to talk about any of this with his family, he pulled Uruha's card from his pocket and decided to call the man.

The older gentleman answered surprisingly quickly. "Can't get enough of me, I see. What can I do for you, sweetheart?"

"I want to see you. Can we meet up?" Kouta felt a little uneasy, but he just needed some time to calm down and he figured this would be a great opportunity.

He could just hear the smirk on that beautiful face as Uruha hummed softly. "I will come pick you up then. This time, you can come and see my place."

"Sounds good," the redhead nodded to himself. "I am not home, but we can meet somewhere. I needed out of that house for a little bit."

"Something happened, didn't it?" Uruha sounded suddenly worried. "Where are you? I am on my way."


	3. Chapter 3

Soon, Kouta found himself climbing into Uruha's rather expensive looking car. The man was giving him a concerned look, seemingly trying to make sure he wasn't hurt. He bit his lip as the redhead got settled in.

"Are you okay?" Uruha's voice sounded surprisingly gentle. "You look like absolute shit."

Kouta heaved a sigh. "Just troubles with my haunted house, which I recall I told you I can handle just fine."

"Then why are you here now?" He countered easily.

Kouta just shrugged. "I just need a distraction to clear my head a bit."

Uruha chuckled darkly next to him. "I knew you would be back for more. I never would have guessed it would be this soon, though. Not that I will complain much."

The rest of the way to the man's residence is mostly silent with Kouta being lost in his thoughts of his earlier conversation with Kai. The demon had threatened to make him pay if he were to try sleeping with someone again, but for some reason, he didn't believe that were true. The creature didn't seem like he wanted to bring harm to him, so surely he wouldn't actually do anything to him.

They arrived at a rather impressive looking high-rise and Kouta was ushered inside quickly. Before he really had the chance to look around at Uruha's penthouse, he was being pressed against the wall, much like the previous night when the man had joined him at his home. Feeling the taller man's lips crash against his sent a rush of excitement through him, bringing a satisfied moan from him.

The two began to tug at each other’s clothing, almost desperate in their mission to disrobe and get to the fun stuff. Once that goal was achieved, Uruha easily lifted the smaller man with the intent of carrying him to the sofa to have his way with the redhead. As soon as Kouta's legs wrapped around him, an intense pain shot through him originating from his left thigh where the demon had branded him earlier.

He yelped at the same time Uruha hissed in surprise and dropped him. The taller backed away, his hand cupping his side where their skin had come into contact. Tears welled in Kouta's eyes as he looked up at the other man in confusion.

"What the fuck was that?" Uruha demanded through clenched teeth. His face clearly gave away how much pain he was in.

Kouta's breathing picked up as he moved his gaze to look down at his thigh where the brand was glowing faintly. "I am not entirely sure."

Uruha's brows furrowed as he stared down at him. He stayed silent for a moment before finally moving his hand to reveal a nasty looking burn etched in his skin that was already beginning to blister. His voice was strangely calm when he spoke. "I am going to need to take you to see a friend of mine. Right now."

Kouta nodded. He was in far too much pain to argue. He didn't say a word as Uruha helped him back to his feet. They both dressed in silence, not really looking at each other much besides the taller man looking at his leg curiously. The man left him alone long enough to grab a cool, dampened cloth to press to his burn before bandaging himself up. Soon, they were getting back into the older man's car and driving through the city once more. The entire drive, Kouta anxiously fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

Uruha let out a soft sigh after a few minutes. "You can calm down, Kou-kun. I am not angry with you. There is no way this could be your fault. Unless you summoned it on purpose, of course."

Kouta's head snapped towards him in surprise. Before he could open his mouth, Uruha continued speaking. "It is clear now that this haunting of yours is so much more than that. I am not sure what that mark is or how to get rid of it, but I know someone who can help."

They arrived then at the shop Kouta had purchased his Ouija board from and Uruha got out before coming around to open Kouta's door for him. They walked inside together and the taller greeted the man behind the counter, the same man who Kouta had seen when he was last here.

"Where is Ruki?" Uruha asked the man as he looked up at them.

"Where do you think?" came the bored answer. "Back room with Rei."

The man's gaze wandered to Kouta and his expression soured a bit, but he didn't say anything as he looked back to Uruha when the man started talking again.

"Well, go get him. We have a serious problem," Uruha leaned against the counter. "Please, Aoi? I really need help this time."

The man named Aoi rolled his eyes. "Okay, but you and your boyfriend owe me big time for interrupting those two."

Kouta blushed slightly and waited for Uruha to correct him, but he never did. He just smirked at him. "Oh? Is that jealousy I detect?"

Aoi clicked his tongue in annoyance and stomped off to the back of the shop. There was a bit of a commotion before he returned with a man hardly any taller than Kouta himself. The man had long black hair half pulled up in a stylized ponytail and wore heavy gothic make up. He was grumbling as he adjusted his outfit which appeared to be some sort of dark priest's robe.

He looked up and grinned at Uruha. "Good evening, Ussan. What can I help you with this time?"

Uruha leaned down and whispered in his ear before Ruki turned and looked Kouta up and down. His expression was serious now, almost scarily so, and he motioned them to follow him without a word. He noticed to look of confusion Aoi gave them, clearly showing how unusual it is for him to take customers into the back room.

The man led them down a short hallway to an intricate looking door. He pushed it open slightly and popped his head inside. "Put pants on, I have an important client."

He closed the door again and waited for whoever was inside to do as they were asked before the door swung fully open. They were greeted by a tall blond who seemed to be trying hard not to glare at them.

"Since when was Uruha more important than me?” the man grumbled as he moved aside for them to enter.

"The client is the boy," Ruki placed a hand on Kouta's shoulder and gently guided him to take a seat on a soft looking armchair.

The room they had entered had large bookshelves lining the walls filled with heavy looking leather-bound tomes and glass jars of various items Kouta had no hope of identifying. In the middle was a huge wooden table covered in a dark cloth with moon phases on it. The surface was littered with even more books and strange objects. Ruki pulled one of the chairs circling it over to sit in front of Kouta.

"Show me the mark," he spoke in a soothing tone, getting straight to the point. "I need to see what I am working with here."

Kouta blushed slightly and shifted in his seat. His eyes darted to Uruha who was ignoring them in favor of examining on of the shelves while the blond was still glaring daggers at him. "It's, uh... it's in an inappropriate location."

Ruki rolled his eyes at him. "I promise you don't have anything I haven't seen. Do you want me to help you with this demon problem of yours or not?"

Kouta just stared at him for a moment until he heard Uruha chuckle from the other side of the room. "Give him some privacy, Reita. He is shy when he doesn't have alcohol in him."

Reita rolled his eyes and turned his back to them with his arms crossed over his chest. "Yeah, whatever."

The redhead puffed out his cheeks and stood up, nervously pushing his pants down just enough to reveal the brand to the man before him. It still had a faint glow to it and ached a bit. He refused to make eye contact with Ruki as he felt cool fingers against his skin when the witch leaned closer to examine it. He made a small humming sound and reached to blindly grab one of the nearby tomes and flip through it.

"I recognize this, I am sure of it," he muttered quietly. "Did this demon give you a name, by chance?"

"He calls himself Kai," Kouta answered. He was getting very curious about the book in the man's hands.

Ruki clicked his tongue and gave out an annoyed sigh. "Figures the beast wouldn't offer up its real name. That would make it much too easy for me."

He wasn't sure why, but something about the way Ruki was talking about Kai bothered him. He didn't like that he was referring to him so harshly. That thought didn't make sense, even to him. The man was a demon! He didn't deserve the respect of being called properly like one would for a human, right? He held his tongue as the anger simmered in his stomach, nonetheless.

"Aha!" Ruki exclaimed in excitement. "Found it! Oh, you can put your pants back on, but the way."

Kouta hurriedly did so. "So what is it?"

The other man hummed to himself, his eyes flicking across the page in front of him. His expression grew darker with every pass. He snapped the book closed and looked up at him. "Definitely not good, I will tell you that much now."

Kouta bit his lip and waited for Ruki to say more, but the man just stayed where he was, silently staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Before he could try to urge him on, he turned and looked to Uruha with the same dark expression on his face. He stood after a moment and walked about, pulling down various jars before walking towards a small desk in the corner Kouta hadn't noticed when he walked in.

Without a word, he started to crush some of the contents up and mixing them together in a small bowl. The blond man watched him curiously but stayed at a respectable distance from him while he worked. When he was finished, Ruki turned and offered a spoonful of the concoction to Uruha.

"This should help soothe the burn," he said softly as Uruha took it and put it in his mouth without hesitation. "At least, I assume that is how you figured out your latest Aoi distraction has a demon attached to him."

Uruha nodded and pursed his lips. "Do you really have to word it like that?"

"Only until you stop fucking around and actually let Aoi take you on a date," Ruki smirked before turning back to Kouta. "I am not sure what the situation is that led to this, but you have been branded by a demon, as I figure you have probably gathered. That particular mark is the first step in an ancient mating ritual. It ensures the demon's intended cannot be unfaithful to them before the ritual has been completed and the two are bound together for the rest of eternity."

Kouta could swear his heart stopped. His mind reeled as he tried to process what he was hearing. Suddenly Kai’s words were starting to make sense to him. He said he would make Kouta suffer for laying with another and wanted his explicit consent to _cleanse_ him. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. This demon came to him, seemingly with the intent of consuming his soul, so why had he marked him for a mating ritual?

“Talk to me, child,” Ruki was standing in front of him again. He had a soothing kind of presence to him that made the redhead slowly start to relax, only now realizing he had been starting to panic. “I cannot help if you don’t speak to me.”

After a few deep breaths, Kouta finally spoke up. “Ruki-san? Do demons usually consume their mate’s soul?”

The man tipped his head to the side and thought over his question for a moment. “I don’t imagine so. From what my research has taught me, if a demon’s mate dies then they too will cease to exist. I haven’t been able to find much on these bonds between a demon and a human, but I can’t imagine it to be too far off. Unless this thing has a death wish, you probably won’t have to worry about it eating you if I cannot remove that mark for you.”

That anger from before boiled inside him once more and he actually growled at the man before him. “You keep speaking about him like he is some animal undeserving of being treated with respect. _He_ has a name!”

Ruki hardly even reacted to his outburst. “And clearly _he_ has already planted the seeds of deception inside you. Come along, I want to meet this _man_ of yours. Reita, get my kit. I will go give Aoi the heads up that I will be leaving for a while.”

He exited the room while Reita rolled his eyes and moved to grab a large bag that was leaned against one of the walls. “Fantastic, I just _love_ when he makes house calls.”

“Oh, lighten up, Rei. I am sure you will get to continue plowing him after this is over with,” Uruha chuckled as he teased the man.

“He is going to get himself hurt if he keeps doing this,” Reita gave Kouta another once over before sighing. “You better be worth saving, kid. I am growing exhausted from my boyfriend playing the hero all the time. He needs to leave these things to the church!”

Uruha placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “And you need to trust that he knows what he is doing, Rei. You know damn well he is far more knowledgeable on these matters than the church. He has a better chance at saving him than a real priest would.”

Begrudgingly, the blond agreed and Uruha turned to Kouta. He flashed him a small smile and held out his hand for him to take, which he did gladly. “Hey, uh, I’m sorry. For what Ruki said earlier about you being a distraction for me.”

Kouta hadn’t even registered that detail with how shocked he was over the whole mating ritual thing. He just shrugged it off and grinned back at him. “You were quite the distraction for me as well. Not like we were planning on dating or anything, right? I will help you keep Aoi jealous if you want. He seems like an asshole.”

Reita snorted and walked out of the room. “Yeah, well, he is Ussan’s asshole.”

Uruha rolled his eyes and pulled on Kouta’s hand gently to get him to follow along. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s not keep Ruki waiting. He seems to be itching to go demon hunting.”

Kouta pointedly ignored the glare Aoi sent him as they walked out of the back area with their fingers interlaced. He had much bigger things to worry about anyways, like the almost painful tingling he could feel in his arm where he was holding on to the tall man next to him.


	4. Chapter 4

Upon reaching Kouta's home, the small redhead was actually surprised to find it completely dark. He stepped out of Uruha's car and led Ruki up the few steps to the front door. The man had insisted that he and Kouta enter the house alone to start with and promised his overprotective boyfriend he would let them know if he needed assistance.

Ruki stopped as soon as he walked through the door and looked around a bit before slowly heading to the living room. He seemed to be deep in thought as he sat his bag down next to the couch. "Now this, I like. It feels heavy in here. Really heavy."

Kouta tilted his head. "Does it? I think it feels normal to me."

Ruki just flashed him a grin and turned in a small circle to observe the room. "You probably aren't as sensitive as me. That or it doesn't want you to be scared. Kai, you said?"

A loud crash came from overhead as Ruki said the name and his grin only widened. He was clearly having a good time. "Ah, yes. Kai it is."

Ruki started towards the stairs, stopping at the bottom and looking up them. He called out in a surprisingly polite tone for someone who seemed to despise the entity he was speaking to. "Do you mind coming down here, please? I would very much like to meet you."

Another loud banging sound was all the answer he got. He rolled his eyes and looked over to Kouta. "Stubborn one, isn't it?"

" _He_ ," Kouta once again found himself correcting the witch. He moved to walk past him and go up the stairs. "Kai? Are you around?"

He was met by the demon himself shoving him against the wall roughly. His dark eyes were blazing with anger and his voice was low and sinister when he spoke. "I believe I warned you of the suffering you would face should you try to further filthy yourself with that man."

He heard footsteps rushing up the stairs in response to the loud thud produced by him being pushed so violently. In a moment, Ruki was next to them and looking at the demon with wide almost excited eyes. "Hello, Kai! I would appreciate you unhanding him and taking a moment to speak with me instead, thanks."

Kai actually did let go of Kouta and stepped closer to Ruki. He eyed him up and down and seemed to be smelling the air around him. "I don't like you. But you aren't the one who laid hands on what's mine."

"Well, I kind of did, but not inappropriately," the witch didn't move an inch, just allowed the demon to size him up. "I smell nice, don't I? Sage has quite a lovely scent, don't you agree? Now, to business then."

Kai cut him off instantly. "I am not interested in anything you have to say, witch! I am only here for him." He shoved the witch backwards into the wall opposite then, dangerously close to the stairs.

Ruki groaned a bit at the impact but managed to keep himself from tumbling over. "First of all, rude. Secondly, I cannot let you take him. Did you even ask him before marking him? Naughty, naughty."

Kouta was shocked to see Kai actually back down a bit at that. "I... no. I was too angry. I will not proceed without his consent."

Ruki tsked and shifted a little closer to the demon. "You listen to me. I will not let you take the soul of an innocent man. I will find out your true name and I will banish you back to hell. I can promise you that!"

Kai let out a growl and grabbed the witch by the throat, easily lifting him off his feet. "Not if I kill you first, you pathetic wretch!"

"Kai, no!" Kouta cried out. He lunged toward the demon, clawing at him in a desperate attempt to get him to put Ruki down. "Let him go, please!"

For his part, Ruki remained completely calm through everything. He just dangled in the demon's grasp and glared down at him. His eyes were blazing with anger as they made contact with Kouta for a brief instant before the demon literally tossed him aside down the staircase.

Kouta screamed out his name and rushed down to his side to check on him. In that instant the front door slammed open as Reita barged in. He looked absolutely furious as he looked around for the source of all the slamming.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" He shouted before running over to Ruki's crumpled form. "Damn it, Taka! Are you alright?"

Ruki let out a pained moan and pushed himself up to lean on his boyfriend heavily. "I am going to banish this son of a bitch if it's the last thing I do, Rei. No one gets to toss me around like that."

The blond turned to look up at Kai as he slowly made his way down the stairs to stand over them. He protectively placed himself between the witch and the demon as he pulled something from his pocket. Kouta couldn't tell what it was before he chucked it at the demon. It shattered and Kai stumbled backwards with a hiss.

"You will not touch him!" The blond shouted and stood as though he was going to physically fight the creature before Kouta shoved him towards the door.

"Leave. Both of you!" He backed away more towards Kai. "I do not wish anyone to get hurt. Please, just go."

Ruki pulled himself up and limped to his boyfriend's side. "I can't save you if you continue letting _that thing_ manipulate you!"

Reita lifted Ruki into his arms and talked over him when he tried to protest. "You can't save everyone, baby. I am taking you to the hospital," he glared at Kouta before turning and stepping out of the house.

A moment later Uruha walked in and grabbed the bag the witch had left in the living room. He stood in the doorway for a moment just looking at Kouta. "Please, call me if he hurts you again. Promise me."

"I..." Kouta looked around to see Kai had disappeared again. "I promise, Uruha. Keep me updated on Ruki?"

Uruha gave a short nod and leaned forward. He placed a soft kiss to Kouta's forehead. "It's a deal. I will see you around. Assuming you survive."

With that, Kouta was once again left alone in his house. He shivered a bit and wrapped his arms around himself before turning and walking back up the stairs. After a moment of hesitation, he called out. "Kai?"

The demon seemed to stumble out of the shadows of his bedroom and gave him a grumpy look. "Fucker threw holy water at me. I will kill him if I see him again!"

Kouta gave him a glare that surprisingly made the demon shrink back slightly. "You will not harm any of my friends. That is my one condition to giving my consent to this _cleansing_ of yours."

Kai bowed his head, actually looking ashamed of himself. "Anything you say my pet. I am yours just as much as you are mine. I beg your forgiveness for losing my temper with the witch."

"Another thing," the human huffed. "Never call me your pet ever again! I am not some kitten you just picked up off the street."

The demon nodded. "I apologize. What would you like me to call you?"

"My name would be good," Kouta sighed and pushed passed him to head to his room. "I am going to sleep. Please leave me alone for the rest of the night."

The demon didn't respond as he let himself disappear from his future mate's sight. Kouta felt strangely lonely without him there but brushed it off and changed into his pajamas before crawling into bed. His mind raced over what had just happened. Surely, Ruki would not want to see him again after this and he was just beginning to like the guy. Sighing heavily, he pulled the covers up around himself and fell into a fitful slumber. He could swear he felt Kai’s presence by his side watching over him as he slept.


End file.
